


I See A Red Door

by flavourless_fiction



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Character Death, Established Relationship, Flashbacks, Heavy Angst, Infighting, M/M, Revenge, Violence, hurt/little comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2019-08-05 08:54:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16364801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flavourless_fiction/pseuds/flavourless_fiction
Summary: It was a case that was never meant to be passed on to Tim, yet because of it another person he loved was killed. Trying to figure out how to get revenge and just how Jason had gotten involved when he'd deliberately kept him out of it felt impossible.





	I See A Red Door

Nothing seemed to be working, no words, hand gestures, not even his attempts to fight back. At first Tim had thought this was merely a game they had joked about at one point or another until he noticed the cold and serious demeanour, the way things were being laid out just a few feet away from him. Had it all been building up to this? Months of being happy enough, of getting past being judged and trying to find some sort of balance so that they didn’t feel like they were constantly arguing and here Jason was, tying him up and stealing his secret identity.

If this was all some revenge scheme he’d certainly played the long con. Tim and everyone else had believed Jason’s feelings were genuine. “Ja-Jason please… don’t do this.” He whispers, focusing on the guns that had been laid out in front of him. This explained why Jason had ‘temporarily’ dyed the front of his hair black again, he’d never be able to masquerade as Red Robin for very long, any other person in the Bat Family would know at close range that it wasn’t Tim. Although, they had to be able to see him. If Jason needed access, temporarily at least this would gain him access.

All he wanted to do right now was scream, try and get anyone’s attention, however, it would be no use. He doubts Jason had any coms turned on right now and if he attempts to alert anyone he’d probably end up being the first blood. “Stop crying.” The words are cold, detached, nothing like when he’d been comforted after an exhausting night or when they’d gone to visit his step mother and it had dawned on him how he’d abandoned her to a psych ward so he didn’t linger on the past. There were no tears, but the struggling and whimpers could make one assume when Jason wouldn’t dare look at him.

Why?

It couldn’t be guilt.

Jason wasn’t exactly the sort to waste time on guilt if he had a job to do.

Duct Tape wasn’t the most effective of a restraint, Tim managed to slip one wrist free before Jason even turned back to him. “Just… fuck… just tell me what you’re doing.” He breathes, hating the desperation in his voice.

Jason’s hands gripped his wrists for the third time that night, using even more tape to keep him attached to the headboard of the bed. That wasn’t a look of anger or frustration. Jason might not have been able to meet his eyes but Tim could still read through the gaps. This was hurting him as well. This might not have been a job he was willing to do. “There can’t be two Red Robins out tonight. Stay here, replacement, if you care about the greater good like you all claim to; you won’t get involved.” Replacement… a name he hadn’t heard in some time. Jason had many nicknames for him but that had fallen out of common usage.

He didn’t get the chance to struggle as the helmet of Red Hood was shoved over his head, it didn’t blind him but with his hands tied up there was no chance of removing it. The was no way he could make Jason look him in the eye one last time before he committed an atrocity in his name.

Neither one of them said a word as Jason disappeared. The moment he was gone Tim got to work on the restraints. Getting the same hand free once more within seconds, ripping the tape off of his other wrist. What was this? It was clear they weren’t playing a game and if Jason wanted to keep him here he could have done it without too much trouble. This hadn’t been to stop him, just delay and not even for that long. At worst it was some sort of a strange test but they were past that point weren’t they? There were certain things that could never come down to a ‘you’ll just have to trust me’ attitude.

Five minutes. That’s all it took. Tim dressed in the one alias aside from Nightwing that he thought he’d never take up. It explained the guns, not a single one was out of place, because they’d been for him.

He wouldn’t kill Jason, wouldn’t draw a gun but despite physical limitations, he had to look the part. Once two were holstered he was away, it was lucky that the coms were still active in the Red Hood helmet, Oracle probably had him muted if all she’d been able to hear was breathing, he didn’t know what he’d do if he didn’t have some sort of additional eyes. “Does anyone have eyes on Red Robin?” He says almost too urgently, they’d be on alert for him but they’d also potentially think he was under attack.

Oracle is the first to respond, the one he’d hoped to hear from if he was being honest. “Yes, you’re moving… hold on, why are you-”

She’s cut off, by Jason nonetheless. “Don’t worry babybird I’ve got eyes on you.” It’s disgusting how cheerful it is, a teasing cutesy tone that he didn’t hear all too often.

It’s like the knife in his gut is being twisted. “Oracle, give me a private channel between you and me.” He says quickly, moving between rooftops, he could take a decent guess as to where Jason’s going and it’s not any Wayne properties.

“Red, you’ve got to-”

“Oracle, now!” He snaps, this isn’t the time for explaining, he needs to put a stop to whatever this is. It felt all kinds of wrong, they’d stopped working together unless necessary lately and now he was forced to track Jason down before everything went to shit.

There’s nothing but dead air for a few moments, feeling the stress get to him as he stumbles slightly further forward than what he normally would in making that jump. He was going to have to start grappling soon, these jumps getting further and further apart. “Okay I got it.”

“Can you see him?”

“Heading towards the East End. What’s he doing?” She could likely tell that the voices had come from the wrong locations regarding their respective suits, Tim gritting his teeth as he changed his course of direction slightly. East End meant he was getting caught up in exactly what he’d been trying to keep him out of.

A mob case that had been palmed off to him in the first place. Jason didn’t have access to any of his files but that didn’t mean he hadn’t tried to figure things out. “I don’t know. He stole the costume and bolted, said I shouldn’t involve myself.”

“Looks like some Odessas are around, meeting up with a few Galantes. Red, you might want to get there a little quicker if possible, if there’s a shoot out you don’t want your name attached to that.”

“He didn’t take a gun. Whale’s not even in the city, I tracked him to Metropolis a week ago, and I’m not trying to deal with the of small fish of Odessa or Galante.” He says, voice stiff as he grapples between buildings. There wasn’t anything else Jason would go down there for as Red Robin.

“You want their location rather than having me track Red Robin?” Tim doesn’t even have to answer that question, Jason could easily change his route to confuse them or force assumptions but this was where he needed to be regardless. Perhaps he’d been too arrogant in trusting Jason.

He was the closest thing to a criminal in their family after all. He should have checked out his East End contacts before getting into bed and trusting him. Had he not done everything right? No… that was why they fought, almost too often to start off with. Neither one of them could do a thing right and when it had seemed to fit just perfectly this was where they were. “Who’s on patrol tonight?”

“Nightwing and Robin have been out for the past two hours now, B is at an event so who knows when he’ll come out… the girls are in Blüdhaven. Do you want me to send Nightwing and Robin to your location too?”

A reasonable question that deserves an answer that isn’t filled with panic. This wasn’t a situation he could handle just himself, he wasn’t an idiot. These might have been just a few mobsters but there was an emotional attachment that he wouldn’t be able to separate himself from. None of them realistically would be able to. He wasn’t exactly going to be looking like a friendly when he was treating Red Robin with hostility. “Not yet. Once I get there send them in as back up, tell them not to come in until it all goes to shit.”

“Got it.” The rest of the way the communication was merely directional, Barbara giving him a drop point down a side alley. It wasn’t exactly where they were but it gave him the option to flank. Morals aside, he was sorely tempted to whip out one of the guns the moment his feet hit the ground. Oracle didn’t take long to open the channel again, Tim hearing Dick confirm the information she must have given him just moments before.

He didn’t want to fire it, to kill someone but what would Red Hood do? Of late probably not this but in the past he certainly would have and considering the stakes Tim wasn’t going to give himself away entirely.

Unfortunately flanking didn’t appear to be an option, a member of the Odessa family getting a good enough look at him. “Would you look at that, Hood does hold up on his end of the deal, brought Red Robin to us without any trouble. Tobias can’t claim this was us getting lucky tonight.” They spoke too loud, bragging almost as the gestured for him to approach.

A deal, likely something horrible that involved Jason’s betrayal. Never had his gut been so wrong about a person. “What are you planning on doing?” He growls, hand already at one of the guns. So much for not wanting to even draw one.

“We’re going to make sure your friend stops getting in any of our businesses once and for all.” It was sinister, the key words being ‘your friend’. They thought he was the Red Hood. He wasn’t close enough for the size difference to be obvious but that meant that he wouldn’t be the target tonight.

“You need to get out of here Red, this isn’t your fight.” It comes through the coms, ragged but soft. Jason’s the target right now. The target that is supposed to be  _ him _ .

Just minutes ago he was adamant Jason was a traitor and needed to stop this at all costs. Turns out this was a whole other game. “N-no.” It was the only word he could get out as he drew the gun.

Firing off two shots before he even had the chance to think about it. It wasn’t the first time he’d fired a gun. Bruce might have had a strict no guns policy and he certainly agreed with not killing people, but he and Jason had done some target practice one night out of boredom.

He was by no means a crack shot but he could hit a torso. The two men fell to the ground, blood splatter behind them. “Non-lethal tactics! Christ, Hood!” So Dick was listening, likely trying to get into position when Tim fired, when he thought Jason had fired.

It’s only a few steps and he’s in the alley with the three other men, an Odessa and two Galante men, guns trained on Red Robin. 

“Get out of here, Red, run!” Jason shouts at him, desperate, the closest to pleading he’d ever heard. Three shots, that’s all it would take, he didn’t have a choice, couldn’t close the distance and grapple with three men when a gun could go off at any second. There was only one option right now but the gun jams after the second shot. He can hear Dick trying to reprimand over the gunfire, obviously not realising that a third shot went off anyway. Simply from the gun of the last Odessa member.

Tim wants to scream, to throw up but all he can do is throw the first gun down and draw the second firing off one last shot, there’s no thought, only purpose. He can’t watch as Red Robin,  _ Jason _ , sinks to the ground, blood splatter on the wall behind him.

No one around him is moving, he can already see from the exit wound that Jason was gone the moment he hit the ground and now he only has the option to run.

An option that is snatched from him less than thirty feet in the air when the grappling wire is cut. Damian, of course. He’s thrown to the ground before he even gets the chance to fight back, not that Tim would. 

Damian gets in at least four good punches before Dick pulls him off. Tim unable to focus on the arguing between the two of them, fingers getting under the helmet to unlock it, to get it off of him and throw it as far away as possible. 

It doesn’t make it any easier to breathe but Damian does still for a moment, looking from Dick to Tim several times. The kid isn’t dumb, but even someone trained from birth can allow emotions to cloud their judgement briefly. “Why’d you engage?” Is all Dick asks, taking whatever weapons he can off of Tim’s body, no longer making any commentary on the gunshots.

That would be Bruce’s job, to tell Tim off for taking it too far. Just as he had when he’d almost killed Captain Boomerang. He really did have a knack for replacing Jason didn’t he. Never would have guessed it would be like this though. “I… Dick, why?” He can’t help but feel incredibly small, just how many of the people that he loved have to die? It was like a curse, a reality he couldn’t escape despite how hard he tried.

Damian doesn’t look at him, just moves to stand by the body looking down at the scene in front of him. “It would have been you, so what did he know that none of us did?” An insensitive question but not an unfair one, Tim allowing Dick to help him up, his brother’s arm going around him when it became clear that he needed some sort of assistance to stand, legs still shaking under his own weight.

Dick’s not speaking, and Tim can’t look at him, he can’t take his eyes off of the bodies, barely able to stomach looking at Jason. “Did you know something?” He asks, voice soft, needing some sort of answer.

“We need to get out of here, remove him.” It doesn’t answer the question. Well not verbally but Tim can tell it’s Dick merely trying to not tell him what he doesn’t want to know. At least Dick wasn’t trying to lie about it. Lying would hurt even more than no real response.


End file.
